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Evangelical Channel

The Grace and Compassion of George W. Bush

The first thing he asked me was, "How are your wife and boys doing?" Then he extended to me his forgiveness. I was genuinely shocked and deeply moved by this. We spent a considerable amount of time together, and before I departed his office he said, "By the way, the boss wants to see you."

So surely this, I thought, would be the woodshed moment, and again I completely deserved it. I expected other people to be there, but when I got to the Oval Office the only other person there was the executive assistant. I thought I must have come on the wrong day—but the President called me in. I thought: This is going to be really bad. I went in and closed the door.

I turned to him to apologize, but barely got the words out before he looked me in the eyes and said, "Tim, I forgive you." To say I was stunned would be an understatement. I tried again to apologize, but he wouldn't let me. He said, "Tim, I've known grace and mercy in my life. I'm extending it to you. You're forgiven."

I said, "You should have thrown me into Pennsylvania Avenue." Again he said, "My friend, you're forgiven. We can talk about all of this, or we can talk about the last eight years."

I turned to sit on the couch in the Oval Office, but he directed me to the seat of honor beneath the portrait of Washington, where Heads of State sit. I sat there, and he and I had a conversation about two remarkable presidential campaigns, and what was at that point about seven-and-a-half years in the White House. I was by then one of the longest serving aides to the President. We embraced, and I thought this was the last time I would see George W. Bush. As I turned to head out, though, he said, "I want you to bring your wife and boys here, so I can tell them what a great job you've done."

I was stunned and speechless. The leader of the free world, the most powerful man on earth, wanted to affirm me before my wife and children. Sure enough, my wife and boys came, the President gave them a great amount of time in the Oval Office and gave them gifts. We were invited back to the White House as a family on subsequent occasions. We were there at Andrews Air Force Base for his departure. I've seen the President a number of times in Texas and he's never mentioned it again. So, in my mind, George W. Bush is and was grace personified.

So to go back to your earlier question about compassion: I was the wounded man on the side of the highway. I was totally and completely guilty and undeserving of the President's forgiveness, and yet he gave it to me without reservation. He extended grace to me at the lowest point in my life.